business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. comcast business powering possibilities. this is cnn breaking news. >> hello, and a very good day to you, a warm welcome to viewers in the united states and joining us around the world. i'm richard quest at cnn in london . archbishop desmond tutu has passed away at age 90.

desmond tutu, known as "the arch," rose to prominence during a period of political violence in south africa when racial segregation was enforced by the minority white government. in 1984 he received the nobel peace prize for his efforts. the nobel committee pointed to, in their words, his role as a unifying leader, figure in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid. cnn's david mckenzie in south africa now reflects on tutu's historic role in modern south africa. >> you find your cousin has been killed -- >> reporter: when we spoke to the late photographer in 2016, he remembered a different time. >> we got a funeral each week. people getting killed. and then you don't find one person. five, six, seven, eight people, mass funeral happens.

>> reporter: during the 1980s, the apartheid regime was at war with the black majority. one of its goals, to turn the liberation movement against itself. neighbors betrayed neighbors. friends became informants. in this maelstrom, a diminutive anglican bishop was ever-present. desmond tutu was never afraid to step up to the racist regime using his bully pulpit of peace. during apartheid, archbishop tutu's position in the church gave him a semblance of protection, and his deep faith gave him an unwavering moral compass. even when it was deeply unpopular. >> i am not a politician, even if there are those who say so. i speak from the bible. >> the car was standing down there -- >> reporter: for him, tutu's defining moment came at a

funeral. >> this is all we wanted, we want to kill him. >> reporter: mourners wanted to throw a suspected informer into his burning car, but tutu saved the man from the mob. saying he should be forgiven, that the struggle should rise above the violence of the state. >> tutu is a man of god that taught the truth. nothing else but the truth. >> people listened? >> people listened to tutu, no matter what. >> reporter: during those days with anc leadership in jail or exile, tutu was the voice of the struggle. but after liberation, tutu's embrace of the ruling anc was awkward. >> you and your government, you represent me. >> reporter: when the rainbow nation faltered, he spoke up on corruption, aids policy, diplomacy. >> one day we will start praying for the defeat of the anc government.

you are disgraceful. >> he's an equal opportunity irritant. >> reporter: his daughter says now that he's gone, south africa will lose its conscience. >> south africa will lose a champion and a coach. >> reporter: she says tutu always cheered south africa when it did the right thing, and consistently called the country to task when it did not. >> david mckenzie is with me now from south africa. what's your best memory of desmond tutu? >> reporter: i think he was such an infectious personality. his legend grew. when you met him, the first time i met him in 2008 in kenya, you were overawed. i remember speaking to a colleague who knew him much

better and i said, what should i do? this man is a nobel laureate, single-handedly in some ways the leader -- showed leadership wheel much of the anc was in exile or in prison during apartheid. and my colleague said, chat about football, make a joke about the sports game you just watched. that's what we did. he was able to put me at ease. so many people in so many circumstances in different years, the personal connection he made, the empathy, the infectious laugh. this was a man who was truly great, but at his best completely down to earth, one-on-one able to sway people's moral compass just by his presence. >> david, he is role for the truth and reconciliation

commission, a leap of fade for all concerned, widely regarded as a great success in terms of putting south africa's past to rest. but he did this because he knew that. >> reporter: he knew it had to be done. there needed to be a bridge between those who had caused apartheid or been fellow travelers of the brutal system, and those who were under the thumb of apartheid. and he was sometimes controversially always ready to forgive, tenets of his faith, but the attitude he pushed in public life and beyond. >> later on this break with the anc. the problem here was now he was criticizing those who were leading the black majority.

in a sense he came up against his own. >> reporter: he came up against the leaders of the nation that he had once championed, that he then was not quite comfortable, certainly listened to his own moral voice, and would be happy to criticize them. he famously said he wouldn't vote for the anc, that it had lost his way. and of course it meant he was a thorn in the side of many anc leaders, but still deeply respected, i think, because of his role in the anti-apartheid struggle. he was the voice of the south africans, as well as the voice of the down trodden around the world. it wasn't just south africa. he was absolutely willing to pray for dalai lama, he was a consistent voice for lgbt rights over the decades, even when it didn't fair him to the powerful in certain nations.

he spoke truth to power, and this man who has just an infectious personality, a superb spe speaker, a rouser of people even late into his 80s, was a moral voice of the world and will certainly be hugely missed here in south africa as this country faces many myriad of challenges. >> just looking at there at desmond tutu doing some exercises and also receiving the presidential medal of honor from barack obama. david mckenzie, thank you. omicron is casting a cloud this holiday season in the united states, where cases are soaring and in many places reaching record levels. the u.s. is averaging more than 182,000 cases a day. that's a 48% jump from last week, according to john hopkins university. the average number of deaths from covid are up from 30% a week ago, still nowhere near peak levels we've seen in the

past. as of christmas eve, more than 69,000 people in hospital with covid. half the record high from january, according to numbers from the u.s. department of health and human services. however, disrupting holiday plans seems to be universal. across the country, airlines are canceling a staggering number, dealing a major blow because so many of the people, staff, are affected by covid. they've either got it or they're self-isolating because they've had a close contact. the atlanta hartsfield-jackson airport looked like a ghost town on christmas day. cnn's nadia romero was there and has more on cancelations. >> over 1,000 flights canceled christmas weekend, saturday and sunday. we're seeing some airlines, like delta, with almost 300 cancelations on christmas day. and that has had its impact for travelers all across the country.

internationally, flights being canceled as well. hartsfield-jackson, international airport, we saw a much slower christmas morning because of some of those cancelations and because of the omicron variant. the delta airlines and other airlines are telling us their cancelations are largely due to the variant and their flight crews not being able to fly, either being exposed to covid-19 or testing positive for the virus. we also know some of those cancelations are due to weather. behind me you can see some people are here at the airport, but nothing like what we saw during thanksgiving. we were breaking pre-pandemic levels in 2019. we have more people traveling according to the tsa on christmas eve this christmas eve compared to christmas eve of 2020, but not as many as 2019. that may be due to some of the cancelations and the omicron cases. we talked to some travelers.

>> i got gloves and everything, sanitizer, a special mask, yeah. got to see family. work with god, that's the only thing you can do. only god can pull you through. >> seeing family. going back to new york to see family from atlanta. covid's impacted travel quite a bit, but traveling safe. >> reporter: we spoke with some who are still going on international destinations. one man hasn't seen his family in paris since december 2019. he was going to do whatever it took to get out to paris this christmas. another woman says she's traveling than to to baltimore, for the first time she will see her grandson. first time she'll meet him. she says she expects that to be an emotional moment. rome, paris, london. we'll have details in just a moment as many european countries are grappling with record numbers of infections in

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this is the only world we have. if this world disappears, whether you're rich or poor, whether you're free or oppressed, the fate is the same for all of us. we either survive together, or we are going to be damned together. >> desmond tutu, former 18 bischoff of capetown, expressing philosophies that made him a mortal giant. we'll talk about his passing and the legacy he lives behind as we continue. new cases of covid-19 are surging around the world partly driven by omicron. a short time ago the palestinian health ministry identified its

first case in gaza, reporting from reuters news agency. france for the first time reported over 100,000 new cases on saturday, double that which was recorded only three weeks ago. italy saturday marked its thirst day in a row of record cases. night clubs in italy will be closed thursday to the end of january. barbie nadeau joins us from rome. the measures being taken, it's incremental, anything but a lockdown. how would you say they reached the level in italy, as they accused the uk of lockdown by stealth? >> reporter: well, you know, a lot of people are self-locking down. you didn't see a lot of movement over the christmas period, over this weekend. restaurants weren't packed like they may have been in years past. they don't want to lock

everybody down. the economy suffered so greatly in italy and across europe. so by just closing certain sectors, night clubs, those people aren't happy, but anything they can do to try to avoid the overall restrictions that we saw that were so strong here at the beginning of the pandemic. you've got a lot of people, especially in southern europe, taking it into their own hands. they don't want to return to that. they're doing a lot, acting responsibly, getting vaccinated, high vaccination rates here, getting boosted, getting their children vaccinated. the government doesn't want to close the schools, they want kids to be able to go back to class when the holiday break is over. all these sorts of baby steps in order to avoid that big, giant, crushing blow we saw earlier. >> and of the mood? we are seeing demonstrations in europe of people sort of saying, no masks on my parade type of thing. in italy?

>> reporter: we have had some demonstrations. we have a vaccine mandate for all for all intents and purposes here. you can't go to a restaurant, it's not enough to have a negative covid test. theater, culture event, museums. people have protested against those. the mood is grim, nobody wants this again this christmas, everybody thought last year was unique, once-in-a-lifetime christmas. this year is very similar to last year, even though it's not as restricted. the mood is grim, people are sick of this, tired of it, hoping next year things will be back to normal. nobody wants to wait another year to have a nice christmas, and that's what it looks like we're going to have to do. >> barbie, i wish you season's greetings. thank you. to professor andricht, bonn director of virology and listening to barbie nadeau, people are grim, tired, had

enough of it. at the end of the day, do people like you say, get over it, this is what pandemics look like? >> well, this is a very tough call. many just don't understand what a long run, what kind of marathon a pandemic is. i think some countries haven't prepared the population enough for this. one lockdown, then we are over. then the pandemic is over. now we realize we have to live with this virus and find some new normality to deal with it. what we are hoping for and now we are bracing for the impact of omicron variant, what we are hoping for, that they're catching the virus early enough that we don't get a surge like we are seeing in other countries. >> so since you are at the institute of hiv research, this link between new variants and hiv that has been studied in

south africa, what is it in a sense? could we expect more variants to come from those who have got hiv, where the virus might be more able to breed? >> well, whether omicron variant is coming from an hiv-infected individual, it's speculative. we don't know if this actually happened. but generally, we also cannot say whether new variants emerge, whether omicron is now finally -- one of the final mu st mutated viruses. it's very hard to predict how the virus is going to behave in general. what we know, in an individual who doesn't have a good immune system, the virus can linger for a very long time, can evolve in the body. we can expect more mutation.

that can also happen in cancer patients that are being treated, for example, other kind of immune suppression. doesn't need to be hiv. >> more mutations, more vaccinations, more boosters. we are -- i'm not being depressing, trying not to be, anyway. essentially, we are looking at a situation for the next year or two, three, where we are chasing the tail of this thing till eventually it peters out? >> well, we are actually in a much better situation than last year. we have a vaccine that works very effectively. and if more people get vaccinated, you might still get infected, but overall you can deal with this virus. you're not getting seriously sick. so what's going to end up happening is that every one of us will make contact with the virus in the next years.

if you're vaccinated, you won't get seriously sick. if you're not vaccinated, i can only advise to get vaccinated. because it's very likely that you will make contact with the virus. but we have to get into the situation that is becoming one of the flu-like illnesses we have in the fall and winter every year. >> so i am holding a good, old-fashioned standard mask. in some parts of the u.s. they are having mask mandates indoors. places like rome, places like italy, some places in germany, it might be mask mandates outdoors. once and for all, do masks help? >> masks help, and actually we do have mask mandates in germany as well. indoors. but in particular, if two people wear masks, you can reduce infections. there have been -- a great study

recently published again showed that wearing masks can significantly reduce the transmission of sars-cov-2. but in particular you can reduce also the rick of getting infected. everyone is wearing a mask, you can reduce the rates of transmissions of sars-cov-2. >> professor, season's greetings. i'm grateful, you've cleared up numerous issues and we move on, thank you, sir. >> you too, thank you. when we come on "cnn newsroom," breaking news coverage following the death of the human rights and anti-apartheid leader archbishop desmond tutu. we'll hear reaction, people remembering the man who inspired so many. [laughing and giggling] (woman) hey dad. miss us? (vo) reflect on the past, celebrate the future.

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around the world and in the united states, this is the "cnn newsroom." i'm richard quest. sad news to bring to you this morning. archbishop desmond tutu, who helped lead south africa's anti-apartheid movement, has passed away. he was 90. the death was confirmed by south africa's president, cyril. as the first black archbishop of capetown, desmond tutu preached nonviolent opposition to the apartheid system. 1984, awarded the nobel peace prize. it would be a further decade before he would witness the end of the regime of white minority rule, apartheid in south africa. then he went on to serve a key role in the post-apartheid era, chairing the truth and

reconciliation commission under president nelson mandela. larry madowo is with us from nairobi in kenya. the man, the diminutive man, was a giant. the point is, this little archbishop would come up laughing, a ball and bundle of energy in all directions. and then these great words of wisdom would follow. >> reporter: he was indeed a giant, richard. he was short in stature but he had a towering image around the world, this man who spoke out against apartheid was one of the leading figures against white minority rule in south africa, was critical of the apartheid regime, then critical of his own partners in the struggle when they took over power, the african national congress. he was critical sometimes of president nelson mandela at the time. he did not shy. he did not mince his words. and imagine the kind of stature this man had in south africa. i remember a couple of years

ago, flying to capetown, when everybody had boarded, archbishop desmond tutu came on the plane. he was one of the last people to board. a big round of applause. people were clapping, some people were standing. because he had this larger-than-life image in the minds of south africans. not just in south africa, around the world. he was involved in the mediation process after a disputed election in kenya. he spoke out about many global issues. he was not just the moral conscience of south africa, in many ways he was the moral conscience of the world. >> what are we hearing this afternoon or this morning in terms of those who remember him? who's been saying what? >> reporter: we've been hearing from a lot of leaders, not just from south africa, from around the world. we've heard from presidents and prime ministers from india to the uk to all across african continent, remembering him for his contributions to a more just world. because he added his voice to causes like lgbtq rights,

against the iraq war, against, for instance, lots of many issues clerics would shy away from. he said, despite having given political sermons, that he was not a politician, this was a priest. a priest that crossed beyond the pulpit, into the real world, and had huge impact in south ka and around the world, not quite as towering as nelson mandela, but close. >> larry, thank you. i'm joined by william gamida, author of "the battle for the soul of the anc." executive chairperson of the desmond tutu foundation on the line from johannesburg. the interesting thing is desmond tutu in the end criticized, roundly criticized, the anc. the very government that he'd helped, in a sense, push forward through the destruction of

apartheid. >> yes. thank you for having me. i think desmond tutu was one of south africa's and africa's great model leaders. people tend to forget, even in the 1970s and '80s, he criticized the apartheid government, but he also criticized the abuses by black liberation movements like anc and black leaders. he did that consistently. although he stayed popular. sometimes, you know, the black leaders were very annoyed with him because he criticized them when they messed up. he did exactly the same after the end of apartheid. on the second day or of the first week of the mandela government, 1994, he roundly criticized nelson mandela and the anc for setting the same apartheid state benefits as the party leaders. he said, look, the majority of

black south africans are very poor. and for the new government, anc government, to accept the same benefits, it sent the wrong moral message. when the corruption increased in the anc government, he was very critical, consistently very critical of the anc government. >> if we look at the most recent government, of course, zumo, anc, all of these things did he continue to be that moral compass, do you think? >> you know, he's remained consistent -- i'm told on his deathbed, you know, to be a moral critic, to provide moral leadership. he was very critical. particularly, he also again, you know, jacob zumo, you know, even

current president porter. he actually said very clearly that, you know, to black south africans, they should not vote for the anc if the anc is corrupt. and uncaring, incompetent. people should not vote on the basis of black solidarity if the black leaders or a black government is incompetent or corrupt or uncaring. >> professor, was anybody listening in those later years, do you think? they listened during apartheid. the black majority followed, listened, and worshipped with him. but in later years, were people listening? >> you know, he was roundly criticized by anc when he criticized them for wrongdoings. even mandela was annoyed and expressed annoyance publicly. jacob zumo really also, when he was president, slammed

archbishop tutu when he said people should not vote for the anc if the anc is corrupt. so sadly, you know, for many, many years, people did not listen to due due in the post-apartheid era. i think if you look back, we have our local elections in november this year. and for the first time since the end of apartheid, the anc actually lost local government elections. they got 45%. so clearly, perhaps people in the end did listen to desmond tutu. that they should not vote for the anc, the party they may have supported, if the pear is corrupt. >> professor, i'm grateful you joined us this morning. thank you. allow me to update you with the reaction from those around the world. chief executive of the immediately foundation this morning is saying, "the arch meant everything to me, i first

met him during the work of the truth and reconciliation committee, was privileged to work with him on a number of projects over the years. he was a friend to madiba and the foundation. speaking boldly against racism, injustice, corruption, and oppression, not just in apartheid south africa, but wherever in the world he saw wrongdoing, especially when it impacted the most vulnerable and voiceless in society." the prime minister of india, narendra modi, has said on twitter, archbishop emeritus desmond tutu was a guiding light to countless people globally. his emphasis on human dignity and equality will forever be remembered. i am deeply saddened by his demise. may his soul rest in peace. the johannesburg mayor, we have

lost a giant, rest in peace, desmond tutu, you will be remembered and honored for decades to come. thank you for your service to south africa and her people. the anglican church of southern africa says it will plan the funeral and memorial services for the late archbishop. the current holder has remerem remembered tutu as a deeply connected person to the people of south africa. >> desmond tutu's legacy is moral strength. moral courage. and clarity. he felt with the people. in public and alone. he cried. because he felt people's pain. and he laughed. not just laughed. he cackled with delight.

when he shared their joy. >> the current archbishop of capetown. desmond tutu is survived by his wife of more than 60 years with whom he had four children. we will continue reviewing looking and reflecting on the life and legacy of desmond tutu. it's two years into the global pandemic, or will be in a matter of weeks. the uk is facing more new cases of covid than ever before. why, and what's being done? also, an armed intruder is arrested at windsor castle where the queen and her family have been spending the holidays. s pr. try this robitussin honey. the real honey you love... plus the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? now get powerful relief with robitussin elderberry.

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>> the late former archbishop of capetown, desmond tutu, talking about his fellow icon, nelson mandela, in their struggle against apartheid. more on the passing of tutu and what he did to change not only south africa but in the world as we consider that. united kingdom, a secure scare kicked off christmas morning for the queen and members of the royal family. cnn's nadya bashir is in london and reports the details. >> reporter: christmas was in many ways far from traditional for the queen this year. police were called to windsor castle where the queen is currently staying for christmas after being alerted to an intrude other castle grounds in the early hours of christmas morning. according to a statement from local police, a 19-year-old man was arrested on the grounds of the castle, found in possession of an offensive weapon. police say the royal family were informed the incident. that didn't stop the queen's son, prince charles, and wife camilla, the duchess of

cornwall, from attending a christmas service at st. george's chapel in windsor. the queen didn't make public appearances but did deliver her annual message to the nation, this year taking a more personal approach, commemorating the life of her late husband, prince philip, who died in april. >> christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. this year especially, i understand why. but for me in the months since the death of my beloved philip, i have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work. >> reporter: during that message, the queen was seen in a photo with her husband. according the diamond an verse of 2007 front and center on the queen's death. her video touching on the impact the pandemic has had on this year's festivities, but it also

offered a hopeful look ahead to 2022 which will see the queen mark her platinum jubilee. nadeau bashir, cnn, london. in the uk, the dramatic rise of new cases. friday, the government reported more than 122,000 new cases, the highest number since the start of the pandemic two years ago. health officials have confirmed nearly 24,000 of those cases were omicron. no new ininstructions have been imposed over christmas. that could change if cases continue to climb. scott mcclain in london, we know scotland, wales, and northern ireland are tightening. england is not, and i use the word yet. >> reporter: yeah, i mean, you said they could go up if cases continue to climb, richard. i think the political -- the politicians in this country, at least the ones controlling what the rules and regulations are in

england, would probably tell you there would only be restrictions if we start to see a dramatic rise in hospitalizations, because that's sort of the key metric that they're keeping an eye on right now. they're more consent to sort of let cases rise, and they are rising at a pretty incredible, frightening pace right now. you mentioned a record on christmas eve. the latest government estimates are that 1 in 35 people in england have the virus. that's 1 in 20 in london. the sort of omicron epicenter. while across the country, hospitalizations are maybe starting to tick up ever so slightly, they are not matching, not even close to matching the huge spike in cases. so keep an eye on the hospitalizations. keep an eye on the deaths as well. i think the government from this standpoint, at this point, feels pretty confident, given omicron is significantly less severe than delta, richard. >> so what happens next? the numbers are up. hospitalizations are higher but not dramatically so.

and we see other european countries taking more dramatic measures. >> reporter: yeah, i think a lot of people in this country are looking over at europe and wondering, what the heck is going on there? the restrictions are as if there was no vaccine at all. in this country the strategy from the outset has been very much, get as many boosters into arms as you possibly can. and the government has done a pretty remarkable job of doing that quickly. right now about 56%, i just checked, of eligible population in this country has gotten their booster shot. that helps hugely with the immunity. and so richard, there doesn't seem to be any huge rush to put in new restrictions. where you might start to see a little bit more pressure in that direction is if we start to have problems with, for instance, staff calling in sick in hospitals right now. in london, i just checked the deit. back to the end of november in a single day, about 1,000 health

care workers called in sick because of the coronavirus. a week ago, that number had almost quadrupled. that is where leaders in the national health service are saying, we may have problems even if this isn't causing a hugely severe virus. if you have so many health care workers out, they can't treat people for other things either. >> scott mcclain, thank you. other news, the military junta in myanmar is being accused of a christmas massacre. a local human rights group says over 30 have been killed in an area between the capital and the thai border. vi vic victims' charred remains, say the group, were found on saturday. the aid group say two of its staff are missing after their vehicle atacked and set on fire. military-controlled media say there was an attack on terrorists on armed groups opposing military rule. this is cnn, 9more "newsroom"

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the telescope as it moves gently away from this launch vehicle -- >> it's official. the world's most powerful telescope is out of this world.

the james webb telescope launched on christmas from the esa's port in french guyana. it could change the way we see the cosmos. cnn's kristin fisher reports. >> reporter: after nearly two decades' worth of work and about $10 billion, it all boiled down to one moment on christmas morning and it worked. the webb space telescope successfully launched from french guyana and is now heading to a point about a million miles away from earth. but this is really only the beginning of the journey for the web space telescope. yes, an incredible achievement for nasa, the european space agency, and the canadian space agency, the three partners involved with the webb space telescope. it is now embarking on what is called the 29 days on edge. mars rovers have the seven minutes of terror when the ground loses communication with

the rover? this is the 29 days on edge, the time in which it's going to take to really know if all of those more than 300 single points of failure of the telescope, if they're going to work. so over the next few days and weeks, the telescope is going to be unfolding like an origami to finally put together that massive mirror which is really the centerpiece of this telescope. it is designed to answer some of the most existential questions to humankind. are we alone in the universe? where did that very first light in the cosmos come from? this telescope, it's an infrared telescope, it's 100 times more powerful than hubble which is an incredible thing. and again, so many astronomers all over the world have been waiting years, but because it is so powerful and technically advanced and so far away, if something does go wrong during these 29 days on edge, it means

that no astronauts are actually going to be able to ever fix it. so a great christmas morning launch for the webb space telescope, but it is not over yet for the scientists and engineers who are going to be waiting and watching carefully to make sure all of these bits and pieces actually work. kristin fisher, cnn, washington. if you're in the western united states, take a coat. or maybe better still, this christmas time, stay inside by the fire. more than 6 million people across the western u.s. are under a winter storm warning. meteorologist karen maginnis is with us. i'm looking at that map, good grief. frigid at the top, cold on the right, very bad on the left. >> there is about a 100-degree temperature difference all wait from montana and into texas. in montana, we're looking at temperatures below zero. across texas, temperatures soared into the 70s for the afternoon. but big headaches coming up for

travelers, especially across the west, where typically we talk about mountain snowfall. but in this case, it's down to the valley levels. seattle and portland all looking at snowfall, snow showers, over the next several days. it's raining in southern california. we still have the heat on across texas where, as i mentioned, we saw some record-breaking temperatures, and it's going to be very brisk. in fact, frigidly cold temperatures across the northern tier. temperatures may not be above zero going into next week. all right, here comes some of the speckled clouds you see there. we're looking at lots of cold air that's going to be influencing this region. even across the sierra nevada, we could measure snowfall in terms of ten feet or so. they're saying about a 70-mile stretch on interstate 80 out of sacramento was closed because the road conditions were so treacherous. speaking of treacherous, it's going to be bad across the front range. the tetons, the siskiyous, the

cascades, into the san juan cristo mountains. some of that snowfall across the northern tier with the arctic blast will bring those temperatures down significantly going into the last week of 2021. and as chicago is not looking at snowfall either, the temperature's going to be on the border. let me show you these pictures very quickly out of minnesota. about 50 vehicles, we had trucks, we had cars, they're saying some cases, maybe 70 cars involved with this wreck along a portion of road from minneapolis towards fargo. there were no serious injuries, but very treacherous conditions on the roads there. >> karen, thank you. i'm richard quest in london. i thank you for spending part of your day with me. viewers in north america, it's "new day." for the rest of the world, "generation next." wherever you're watching around the world, around the clock, this is cnn as we remember

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good morning. welcome to your "new day." i'm boris sanchez. christi paul has a well-earned morning off. this final week of 2021 brings a new push to contain the omicron variant. how government officials are working to stop the spread as it sweeps across the country and potentially alters your new year's eve plans. plus, the world is mourning the loss of archbishop desmond tutu. more on his extraordinary life, legacy, and the tributes now pouring